Othello Race Analysis

New Historicism is concerned with the political function of the literature and also the concept of

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, racism is a principal theme that drives the plot of the entire play. An outlier in Venice, Othello the moor or African, is targeted by his ensign Iago because Cassio who seems to be unqualified, was promoted to a lieutenant before he was. Iago is driven by envy and jealousy and creates a confusing and elaborate plan to deprive Cassio of his position. Iago also shares these envious motives with Roderigo, a man lusting over Othello’s wife. These two villains slander Othello to the point of eradicating any pity the audience could have developed towards Othello. The Venetians also have a hidden fascination for Othello and his foreign qualities but, they mask feelings with negative slurs. The audience also affected by the portrayal of Othello, and are persuaded to feel pity for him because of his circumstances; being betrayed by his ensign and being looked down upon because of his Moorish descent. Shakespeare also uses racism as a creative apparatus to generate a metaphor between Desdemona and Othello. The exploitation of Othello’s race leads to the manipulation Roderigo, Cassio, Brabantio, the Venetians, and the audience to see Othello as inferior although, the only difference between him and the Venetians is his lineage.

It is society that labels both Othello and Iago as outcasts, Othello for being dark skinned and Iago for being shoved down the social hierarchy. Both of these outsiders are uncomfortable in their current social system. Regardless, they are deeply submerged within it and are shaped by it. Their obsession over their circumstances and characteristics leads the men to destroy themselves. Shakespeare represents the outsiders in society through the three men of Othello. Othello is preoccupied with his race but still manages to take advantage of Iago’s class. Iago preoccupied with his class, still manages to take advantage of Othello’s race. Despite doing no harm to Othello and Iago directly, Cassio destroys both of the men’s marriages and in turn

unthinkable amount of chaos and devastation. While racism on its own can lead to many societal evils, racism coupled with jealousy can create a truly catastrophic force that can only lead to pure destruction. When someone of a different race and culture is placed in this kind of society, this destruction will only naturally follow. In the play Othello, William Shakespeare focuses on the tragic outcomes of Othello, a Venetian general and black Turkish Moor, and Desdemona, his white Venetian wife. Throughout the play, both covert and overt racism, assimilation, and jealous dispositions all foreshadow the untimely death of Desdemona and Othello.

In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, the main protagonist Othello may not be as simple of a character as you might think. This notion stems from two different ideas that create an aura of complexity around Othello’s character. The first idea is that even though Othello is a black man living in Venice during the sixteenth century (a predominantly white and racist city during that time) he is able to obtain a high status in society. The second idea is how drastically different Othello’s personality is at the beginning of the play compared to the end of the play.

Power is often the root at which conflicts begin. As those on the bottom attempt to gain power and those at the top of the power dynamic attempt to consistently degrade those below them to prevent them from gaining influence. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, the surprise, seemingly societally transcendent, ability for Othello to gain power and Othello to be able to marry Desdemona, is immediately followed by those in power trying to relieve Othello of his role in society, leading Othello to even attempt to exert his own power. The powerful men of Othello attempt to destroy and subjugate the lives of others to prevent them from advancing and maintaining power.

In Cohen’s elucidation of Othello, he comments on the strong and prominent theme of white supremacy. Othello has pushed aside most, if not all, of his cultural characteristics in favor of adopting Venetian traits. He does this as a way to earn back some respect that he lost because of his skin color. Throughout the whole play, Othello is the victim of racial slurs that would demand serious punishment if they were directed at a white man. Cohen contradicts himself in this article when he says that Othello’s suicide “proclaims the triumph of the white civilization”(325) while demeaning himself, but then comments on how Othello reasserts his value with a simple statement. He goes from saying how Othello’s suicide reassured people’s beliefs that black people are inferior in their actions, to how his death left him with a clear resolution of the difficulty that he faced in his life. (150)

“The Tragedy of Othello Written by William Shakespeare" highlights a variety of ways in which males and females reacted to intense situations.” Othello is a key component to the change of emotions. Othello's emotions did not control his will to do his job in Act 2. Previously in Act 1,

When people of one race believe themselves to be superior to those of another, only catastrophe can result. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, racism was extremely prevalent, and white supremacy was much more pronounced. In William Shakespeare’s play Othello, both covert and overt racism, assimilation, and jealous dispositions all foreshadow the untimely death of Desdemona and Othello.

In Othello, it is jealousy that ultimately leads to the downfall of three characters, Roderigo, Othello and Iago. "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green eyed monster" (III.iii.163). Although, Othello is not the only play where William Shakespeare has made jealousy a central motivator. He did it in Macbeth also. Jealousy has many faces between these two plays and in both they lead to the downfall of characters.

Jealousy does not merely destroy the bonds of love, but also alters the lives of the people involved. In The Tragedy of Othello by William Shakespeare, Othello’s entire life is ripped apart by the detrimental lies fed to him by Iago involving his wife Desdemona.

A wise philosopher once stated, “Racism is man’s gravest threat to man — the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason” (Schwartsz). It is no revelation that racism often manifests hatred towards minorities. This concept has been widespread throughout the world for centuries. Racism has prevailed through several works of literature including “Othello” by William Shakespeare. In this particular play, the character, Othello, is allegedly a black man who experiences several accounts of racism from other characters, which eventually leads to his downfall. According to psychoanalysis studies, “Hate is grounded in some sense of perceived threat. It is an attitude that can give rise to hostility and aggression toward individuals or groups” (Abrams). Racism is arguably one of the strongest forms

In William Shakespeare’s play Othello, an African general named Othello is tricked by one of his officers, Iago, into thinking that his wife, Desdemona, is cheating on him with his lieutenant, Cassio. Iago continues to insert jealous and distrustful thoughts about Desdemona in Othello’s mind, ultimately leading to Othello murdering his wife. Because blacks during Shakespeare’s time were viewed as being quick to anger and jealous, many people believe that Othello’s somewhat sudden acceptance of Iago’s claims and jealousy towards Desdemona and Cassio was due to Shakespeare making Othello a stereotypical black man. Michael Hays, in his article Othello is Not About Race, argues that race does not play any major role in Othello’s demise; instead, he argues that the courtly love system made Othello suspicious of Cassio.

effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition , enjoyment or exercise, on equal human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political , economic, social , cultural or any other field of public life field. However, the migrant workers work long hours at low wages.

To properly lay out the issue of racism in the play it is desirable to know how the term itself is defined. The Oxford English Dictionary explains Racism as follows: